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Definitions

lack

[lak] / læk /
NOUN
deficiency, need
Synonyms
STRONGEST
absence dearth inadequacy loss paucity poverty reduction scarcity shortage shortcoming shortfall
STRONG
abridgement curtailment decrease default defect deficit depletion deprivation destitution distress exigency exiguity inferiority insufficiency meagerness miss necessity privation retrenchment scantiness shortness shrinkage shrinking slightness stint want
WEAK
insufficience
Antonyms
STRONGEST
abundance affluence enough excess plenty success sufficiency
STRONG
addition advantage enlargement expansion increase perfection
WEAK
extra lot plethora profusion surplus
VERB
do not have
Synonyms
STRONGEST
need require want
STRONG
minus miss out
WEAK
be deficient in be short of be without have need of hurting for not got too little too late
Antonyms
STRONGEST
dislike have

Usage

What are other ways to say lack? The verb lack means to be without or to have less than a desirable quantity of something: to lack courage, sufficient money, enough members to make a quorum. Need often suggests urgency, stressing the necessity of supplying what is lacking: to need an operation, better food, a match to light the fire. Require, which expresses necessity as strongly as need, occurs most frequently in serious or formal contexts: Your presence at the hearing is required. Successful experimentation requires careful attention to detail.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“The lack of disclosure and contractual complexity of these arrangements makes it difficult for investors to interpret true economic leverage versus that reported on balance sheet,” Castagno’s team writes.

From Barron's • Apr. 17, 2026

The lack of information in the macabre death has fuelled intrigue and ignited an online following, with many hypothesising about the girl's connection to the Romantic Homicide singer.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

But for the wealthy, it isn’t about money so much as a lack of supply.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

This is unexpected because methane is usually produced in environments that lack oxygen, such as wetlands or deep ocean sediments.

From Science Daily • Apr. 16, 2026

The hunger, the slush, the lack of sleep, the constant tension, the grime, the grief, and the cold were all exhausting.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

Vocabulary lists containing lack

Zilch, Zip, Nada: Words For Nothing

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ACT Vocabulary List

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Nobody's Home: Synonyms For "Absent"

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